Fair Housing Complaints Mount Amid Hud Staffing Cuts

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) reported that 32,321 housing discrimination complaints were filed nationwide in 2024 — one of the highest totals recorded across the past two decades.

According to the report, disability-related discrimination accounted for the largest share of complaints at 54.6%, followed by cases based on race, national origin, sex, familial status and religion.

Complaints tied to national origin rose 8.45% from the previous year — the highest level since 2018 — while retaliation complaints more than doubled, reaching a record high.

Local fair housing organizations, which handled nearly three-quarters of all complaints in 2024, have also been affected by funding cuts, with several community-based agencies closing, NHFA added.

NFHA said the closures have left vulnerable groups — including disabled veterans, seniors, families with children, survivors of domestic violence, and Black and Latino homebuyers — without vital protections.

Cuts to HUD

NFHA’s 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report comes as deep funding and staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The agency’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity now operates with roughly one-third of the staff it had when President Donald Trump took office in January, the report said.

HUD staffing cuts were also expanded during the government shutdown — with more than 400 employees laid off.

“This report sends a very clear message: America is in the midst of a fair and affordable housing crisis,” said NFHA President and CEO Lisa Rice.

Multiple reports this year have also pointed to rolled back enforcement action at HUD.